The Italian Frecce Tricolori lived up to their reputation yesterday and wowed thousands who attended the first day of the 2011 Malta International Air Show.

Taking off at 3 p.m in a cloud of green, white and red smoke to the sound of the Italian national anthem blaring through loudspeakers, the Frecce delighted onlookers with G-Force twisting moves. After marking the crisp blue sky with the Italian national flag, they ended their manoeuvres to Luciano Pavarotti’s rendition of Nessun Dorma.

Back on the ground, in among the other military and commercial aircraft on display was a fighter with particular relevance to Malta: one of the Libyan Dassault Mirages which unexpectedly landed last February after the pilot refused to bomb anti-Gaddafi protesters.

At 5 p.m. the Swiss Airforce PC7 aerobatic team put on their own slightly less grandiose, but nonetheless impressive, aerobatic display . Also taking to the sky during the day were roaring RAF Tornado bomber jets, the Armed Forces of Malta’s new King Air, and other aircraft.

Today, gates open again at 10 a.m. The Frecce Tricolori and PC7s will swap slots, with the Swiss flying at 3 p.m. and the Italians at 5 p.m.

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